Named after one of the famous ’front four’ trails on Mt. Mansfield, this I.P.A. is brewed in the English tradition of pale ales shipped from Britain, around Africa, to India. Those ales contained extra hops and a higher alcohol percentage, which both served as natural preservatives. This ale holds true to those original, defining characteristics. Formerly known as "National IPA" at The Shed Restaurant & Brewery.

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3.85/5 rDev +7.5%

From BeerAdvocate magazine Issue #71 (December 2012):

The second installment of the resuscitated brand. Bold and very drinkable, a good quaff all around. Seek it out if you are looking at a good example of an English IPA which over the years has been overshadowed by the creation and growth of the American IPA.

Clearly an unfiltered IPA, the body is a cloudy golden-orange beneath a frothy head of rocky, off-white foam. Kudos must be given as the head drops slowly but remains completely intact, leaving walls of lace along the glass in the space it once occupied.

In the mouth it's medium-bodied, and moderately carbonated, leaving it smooth and supple across the palate.

The flavor delivers a wide maltiness that's delicately sweet, bready/toasty/biscuity, and drizzled with golden caramel. The gently spicy/piney/minty, grassy, and citrusy hops are well integrated, and except for the first few sips where you can easily distinguish the nuances of the malts and the hops readily, it pulls together to become one solid wall of flavor very quickly. The bitterness of an IPA is present, but it's not overtly aggressive; despite the use of citrusy hops, this is more of an English IPA than an American, where the malt is really just as important, and with that said, so is the yeast - there's a remarkably pleasant fruitiness that in combination with the hops delivers notes of juicy apple, soft plum, papaya, mango, and subtle ripe and sweet red berries. The hops rally in the finish, however, combining their raspy flavors and bitterness to drive off any residual sweetness, leaving only dusty dryness behind.

Overall I'm quite impressed. Today's beer drinker (in general) seeks gusto, but I seek refinement. The depth of character found here; and the freshness that it displays are impeccable. The roundness of it running across wide swaths of malt, various hops, and a solid yeast character are rarely found anymore; and in combination with it's spot-on balance of sweet malt and raspy hop flavor and bitterness, it's an exceptionally drinkable English+American hybrid IPA. Brilliant!